Union Chutes. West Brush Creek.

The low elevations are really feeling the April weather, with surface crusts breaking down in the afternoon and exposing a moist-to-wet snowpack. NE Facing slopes between 10,000ft and 11,000ft have widespread melt-freeze crusts or a thin ice lens, depending on elevation, from yesterday's rain. The ice lens extends above 11,000ft. Ski pen in that area is only 0 to 5cm. We found a thin spot or trigger point and remotely triggered one avalanche. 

A got two large collapses, both on convex rolls, where the snowpack was below average in depth. NE, ~10,400ft.

Ski pen is 0 to 5cm on average and boot pen was 17cm on a ENE facing slope at 10,000ft. The slab is 1F hard, and the recent melt freeze and ice lenses that formed during the 2/25 rain event are further making it harder to affect weak layers through the slab. We had a short and quiet tour and got lucky with two large collapses after hunting around for the right trigger point. 

The layer of concern remained the 2/11 interface. An ECTP test and the triggered avalanche both failed about 3 to 5cm below the 2/11 interface in 1.5mm rounding facets that were F+ hard. HS at this location was 110 to 120cm around ~10300f. The slab was about 55cm thick and 1F hard.

The 2/25 rain event had produced a 3 to 5cm melt freeze crust below ~10,700ft and a very thin ice lens above 10,700ft. 

A low-angle NE-facing slope at 9,500ft had a semi-supportable melt-freeze crust in the morning with dry snow immediately under the crust. By the afternoon, the surface snow had become moist, and I got one area with shooting cracks breaking on large, moist facets at the ground. The total snowpack height there was only 45cm.